Stranger Name

Contemplating the theme of Strangers, I started thinking about how we can be strangers to ourselves. I've always been intrigued by instances in the Bible when God re-names someone, so for this work I focused on Jesus giving Peter a new name, and predicting both glorious and horrible things for Peter's life. "Stranger Name" ponders what it could be like to receive a new name, to wrestle with a new identity, one that only God understands and aids us in developing.

Initially this was a solo work, the dancer engaging with the props on her own initiative. But something felt missing; I wanted to be more explicit about the relational struggle inherent in taking on, accepting, or being asked to accept a new identity. I was hesitant to introduce a God or Jesus figure, but decided to see what it would be like to have another person there, at first just witnessing, then assisting, then strongly shaping the action. The outcome, for me, reflects a very true scenario in which God is present in many different ways, some more welcome than others.